Machine for molding bricks or blocks.



.110.700,746. Patented May 27, |902.

C. G. DAVIES. .'lr'I-AGHINE FOR HOLDING BRICKS 0R BLUCKS.

(Application kd Ag. 1, 1901.)

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Patelted May 27, 1902.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. G. DAVIES.

MACHINE FOR MULDING BBICKS 0R BLOCKS.

(Aunlication led Aug. 1, 1901.)

(No Model.)

, @xvi Hummm f /MMMV IG Nu.7oo,746. Patented may 27, 1902.

- c. a. DAVIES.

MACHINE FOR HOLDING BRIDKS 0R BLOCKS.

(Application led Aug. 1, 1901.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

-(N0 Model.)

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(Applictlion'led Aug. 1, 1901.)

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@XN Imanes UNrTR'D STATES dgli-.Aralar Clarion.

CHARLES G. DAv1Es,oF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN."

MACHINE FoR'MoL'Dr-NG BRloKs 0R BLOCKS.

srnorsrcarrolr forming part of Lttersratent Narcea-1e, dated May 27, i902. Application filed August l, 1901. Serial No. 70,547. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that' I, CHARLES G. DAVIES, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Benton Harbor, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Machine for'Molding Bricks or Blocks, of which the following is a specification.

This .invention relates generally to a machine for molding bricks or building-blocks,

and more particularly to one adapted to mold brick or block from a cohesive composite mass,

such as a mixture of sand, cement, and other ingredients. Y

The object of this invention is to providea machine by means of which a brick or block of the kind described can be quickly and easily made, and another object of the invention-is to provide a machineby means of which a recessed block or brick can be made at a single operation.

Another object of the invention is to pro Vide for the manufacture of a series of bricks at one operation, each 'brick or block being. formed upon a plate by means of which the.

said block or brick'can be removedfroni the machine, thereby avoiding the necessity of handling the molded brick or block.

With these objects in View the invention consists, essentially, in providing a verticallymovable mold-box, a horizontally-movable plate adapted to serve as a bottom to the mold-box, upwardly-movableplungers adapted to project intothe mold-box through the bottom plate, the downwardly-movable plunger adapted to compress the material Within the mold-box, an automatic feed-box for delivering a definite quantity of material to be molded and at the same .time cuttingoff the general supply'of such material, together withs means for operating the above-mentioned.' parts in proper order.

The invention consists also in certain details of construction and novelties. of combination and arrangement, all of which will be fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this speciiication, Figure l is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. Bisa transthe `upper plungers and dies.

their upper ends by means of a 4.and intermediate their ends by means of a 'horizontal table B, said table being made converse :vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section ofthe feed-box and moldboX. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the mold-box. Fig. 7L is a detail perspective View showing the antifriction-bearing device connected to the liftingframeof the mold-box. Fig. Sis adetail perspective view of the shaft with eccentrics for operating the mold-box and the upwardlymovableeplungers. Fig. 9 is a detail perspective `view of the upwardly-projecting plungers and the sleeve to which they are attached. Fig. 10 is a detail perspective View ot' the plate serving as a bottom for the mold-box and through which vthe upwardly-movable plungers project.

p In constructing almachine in accordance with my invention I employ a main frame comprising they upright sides A., connected at cross-beam A' siderably thicker at the center than at the `endsfor the purpose hereinafter fully eX- plained. Convenient to the main frame of :the machine is a hopper C, adapted to contain a material to -be molded into bricks or blocks, said material being preferably a composition of sand, cement, and several other ingredients, though it will of course be understood that a machine constructed in accordance with my invention is adapted for molding blocks or bricks from any granular cohesive mass of material.

`A discharge-chute C leads from the hopper C and places the material into a horizontally-movable feed-box D, said feed-box slid- :ing in suitable guideways arranged at the 'lowerend oflthe chute and adapted to deliver a defmitefquantity of material into the moldboxE. Thevfeed-box Dhas a'rearwardly- ,projecting cut-off plate D', which closes the lower end of the chute O'when the` box-Dis moved toward the center for the purpose of discharging the material into; the mold-box. This feed-box D has no bottom, but rests upon a plate D2, which extends entirely across the bed of the machine `a short distance above the bed-plate and constitutes the 'bottom of Ico f the feed-box-When the said feed-box is in its normal position beneath thelower end ofthe chute C. The vfeed-box is operated by means of a toothed segment D3 engaging a rack-barV D4, connected to said feed-box, the toothed segment being operated by means of a lever D5, said lever being rocked by means of a camgroove disk D6, mounted upon the main driveshaft M, so that upon each revolution of the main shaft the feed-box will be moved centrally to discharge the material into the mold# box and outwardlyto its normalr position to receive another charge of material.

In practice I prefer to employ a series of mold-boxes, and in that case it willof course be necessary to employa series of feed-boxes corresponding in number with the number of mold-boxes; but it will be distinctlyunderstood that the construction and operation of the machine are the same no matter whether one or a number of mold-boxes is employed. Whenever a series of mold-boxes is employed, the said boxes are nested together side by side, as most clearly shown in Fig. 7, and are securely connected by means of bolts E', passing through the ends of the boxes, and between each pair of boxes is a plate E2, and similar plates are arranged at the ends of the boxes between the right-angular castings E3, which are securely bolted to the series of boxes at each end. The mold-boxE rests upon the center of the bed-plate while receiving the material to be molded, and interposed between the said mold-box and the bed-plate is a horizontally-movable plate G, as .most clearly shown in Fig. l0, said plate having a series of apertures G' intermediate its ends and at one edge is formed with ran upwardly-projecting flange G2. This plate constitutes the bottom of the mold-box and receives the material to be pressed or molded, and after the material has been so pressed or molded this plate serves to support and hold the molded block or brick and by means of which the said block or brick can be transported Without injury. As before stated, the plates G have openings G' produced therein, and projecting upwardly through said openings are the plungers H, carried by a sleeve H', essentially oval in cross-section. These plungers H' are moved upwardly through the plate as the moldlbox is being moved to a position to receive the material to be pressed, and in order to move the said plungers upwardly I employ a series of cams I, which are arranged within the sleeve H' and upon the shaft l', which passes centrally through the said sleeve and is provided with a gear I2, which meshes with a mutilated gear I3, mounted upon a shaf t I4, and adjacent to the mutilated gear I3 is a complementary mutilatedygear I5, said mutilated portions meshing with a drive-pinion I, mounted upon a main drive-shaft F. By means of the mechanism herein described the plungers H will be moved upwardly through the plates G into the mold-box and permitit to remain there during the remaining operations of the machine, and after the remaining operations of the machine have been completed the plungers will then be with# Ldrawnby the continued revolution of the mu- Y castings E3, and in order to reduce the friction betweengsaid casting end and cam I provide an antifriction-roller K2, Which is located in the lower end of the said angular castings, as most clearly shown in Fig. 7, the said end being bored out to receive the roller, which is held in place by means of plates K3,

fastened upon opposite sides of the end of the angular casting.` The cams K are arranged opposite vto the cams I, so that their opera-l tion is directly opposite the operation of the cams I. The angular castings E3 are connected tothe opposite ends of the mold-box, so that when the plungersH are being forced upwardly through the plates Gthe mold-box is being moved vertically downward, and when the mold-boxfis moved vertically upward the plungers H are withdrawn from the die-plate, thereby permitting the said'plate to be moved laterally along the bed-plate, carrying with it the molded block or brick,

and in order to move the `said plate laterally I employ a sliding bar L, Which slides in guideways L', produced in the bed-plate, said bar having an upwardly-projecting finger L2,

which is adapted to engage the iiange G2 upon the plate and force the same along the bedplate, said linger L2 Working in a longitudinal slot produced in said bedplate. reference to Fig. 2'it will be noted that the finger L2 operates upon the plate G, which rests upon the bed-plate to one side of the center, and this plate in turn contactswith the plate upon which the brick or block is be ing molded, the empty plate serving' to shift Ico' IIO

the loaded plate laterally and at the same time is brought into a position ready toreceive the next charge of material to be molded. i

In order to operate the bar L, I employ an elbow-lever L3, which is slotted at its upper end, as shown at L4, for engaging the depending finger of the 4bar L, the lower end of the elbow-lever carrying an antifriction-roller L5, which travels in the cam-groove L, produced in the face `of the disk L7, mounted upon the shaft M. A

In order to compress the material Within the mold-box, I employa downwardly-acting plunger N, and in practiceI prefer to use a number of plungers,each plunger being adapt-- ed to enter one of the compartments of the mold-box. The plungers N are attached to a rigid cross-bar N', which Works in vertical guideways produced in the sides of the main frame, the extending ends of the said crossbar being shaped into trunnions N2, which Varejournaled in boxes N3, connected to the draw-rods N4, said draw-rods being in turn `connected to boxes N5 at their lower ends,

said boxes receiving the crank-.pins N, carried by the gears N7, mounted at opposite ends of the shaft M, said gears N7 meshing with mutilated gears N8, each mutilated gear NS having a complementary mutilated gear Ngadjacent thereto, the said mutilated gears Ns and NJ meshing with the pinions N10, mounted upon the ends of the main driveshaft F. By this construction the plungers N are forced downwardly into the mold-box after the said mold-box has been lowered, the plungers H raised, and the feed-box operated for the purpose of discharging its contents into the mold-box. I

In Fig. 2 I have shownt-he position of the various parts after the mold-box has been filled and just prior to the descent of the plungers, the feed-box having been returned to its normal position for the purpose of receiving another charge of material. The plungers N are then forced downwardly by means just described, and the material within the moldbox is tightly compressed. During the pressing operation of the plungersN the plungers I-I remain stationary, and the material is therefore forced evenly against the sides of the mold-box, with the result of producing a brick or block with exceedinglysmooth faces or sides, and at the same time a series of recesses are produced in the rear faces of the brick or block, thereby reducing its weight, so that a brick or block of, composite material such as I use will not weigh more than the ordinary clay brick now in common use. After the brick or block has been compressed the' rotation of the shaft I will cause the cams I to withdraw the plunger-s II through the plates, and at the same time the mold-box will be moved vertically upward, thereby leaving the molded brick or block upon the plate. It will thus be noted that the upper ends of the plungers H are beveled or tapered so they can be easily forced through the openings G in the plate G, and they, of course, can be withdrawn with equal facility. As soon as `the mold-box is moved upwardly and the plungers N also moved upwardly the elbowlever L3 will begin to operate, forcing the bar L toward the center of the machine and operating upon the empty die-plate G, which in turn forces the loaded plate horizontally to the right and places the empty plate in position to receive the mold-box. As soon as the empty plate is pushed across the center of the bed-plate the plungers I-I begin to move upwardly and the mold-box downwardly, and as soon as the mold-box has been firmly seated upon the plate and the plungers forced upwardly to their limit the feed-box moves horizontally to the center of the machine, discharging its contents into the mold-box and simultaneously cutting off the general supply of material. As soon as the feed-box discharges its contents it is quickly returned'to its receiving position and the compressing operations of the machine then take place, as heretofore described.

It will thus be seen that I provide a machine by means of which a series of composite bricks or blocks can be quickly and easily molded, and it will also be noted that by molding the said blocks or bricks upon a movable plate I am enabled to quickly and easily remove the said blocks or bricks from the machine without injury to the said blocks or bricks.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a vertically-movable moldbox, of a laterally-movable plate adapted to be moved beneath the lower end of the moldboX, a horizontally-movable feed-box adapted to be moved across the upper end of the mold- 'boX for the purpose of filling the said moldboX, the upwardly-movable plunger adapted to be projected through the plate and into the lower end of the mold-box, the downwardlymovable plunger adapted to be projected into the upper end of the mold-box, and means for operating the mold-box, plate, feed-box, lower and upper plungers, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a machine ofthe kind described, the combination with the mold-box movable vertically, of a plate having openings therein, the said plate being adapted to be moved horizontally beneath the mold-box, a downwardly-movable plunger and an upwardlymovable plunger, said upwardly movable plunger being adapted to be projected through the plate into the lower portion of the moldbox, the upper end of said upwardly-movable plunger being tapered or beveled, together with means for moving the mold-box, plate and upper and lower plungers, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with the main frame having a bed-plate, of a plunger working upwardly through the said bed-plate, a plate slidably arranged upon the bed-plate, said plate having one or more openings through which the upwardly-movable plunger is adapted to proj ect,a mold-box movable vertically and adapted to normally rest upon the plate, a downwardly-acting plunger, and means for operating the mold-box, plate, and the upper and lower'plungers, substantially as shown and described.

4. Ina machine of the kind described, the combination with the main frame having a bed-plate, the central portion of which has one or more openings produced therein, a plunger working upwardly through the said central portion, a plate having one or more apertures intermediate its ends and provided with a flange at one end, two or more of said plates being adapted to be arranged in series upon the bed-plate, the mold-box adaptedto rest IOO IIO

upon one of the die-plates, the downwardlymovable plunger, the sliding bar adapted to contact with one of the die-plates for the purpose of operating upon the series of die-plates, and means for moving the upper and lower plungers, mold-box, and sliding bar, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a machine of the kind described, the plate having one or more openings, said plate having a flange at one side, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with the main frame, of a moldbox having castings connected to its opposite ends, said castings working in vertical guideways produced in the main frame, the ends of the said castings having strap-loops attached thereto, and provided with ran antifriction-bearing device, a rotary shaft having cams at its opposite ends adapted to operate in the strap-loops and upon the ends of the castings, whereby the mold-box is raised and lowered, substantially as shown and described. l

7. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with the main frame having a bed-plate formed with one or more openings, of a plunger adapted to be projected through the said openings, a sleeve to which the plunger is attached, and a rotary shaft arranged within the sleeve and carrying one or more cams adapted to operate upon the said sleeve whereby the plunger is raised or lowered, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with the main frame having an apertured bed-plate, of a mold-box having castings at one end working through guideways in the main frame and carrying straploops at their lower ends, and provided with antifriction-bearin g devices,the plates having openings adapted to correspond with the openings in the bed-plates, the plunger adapted to be projected through the bed-plate and plate and into the lower end of the mold-box, the sleeve to which the plunger is attached, the rotary shaft having oppositely-disposed cams, one set of cams being adapted to raise and lower the mold-box, the otherset being adapted to raise and lower the plunger, and means for rotating the shaft carrying the cams, substantially as shown and described.

9. In a machine of the kind described, a sei ries of mold-boxes arranged side by side,plates interposed between the said boxes, angular castings connected to the end boxes, the lower ends of said angular castings carrying antifriction-rollers and having strap-loops attached to the said ends, substantially as shown and described.

lO. The combination with the main frame, having a bed-plate, of a vertically-movable mold-box, a downwardly-acting plunger, two or more plates, one of which is adapted to rest beneath the mold box to receive the blocks or bricks, the slide-bar adapted to contact with the empty plate, said empty plate being adapted to engage the loaded plate, and means for operating the plunger, mold-box, and sliding bar, substantially as shown and described.

CHARLES G. DAVIES.

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. BROCK, M. D. BLONDEL. 

